It Started At The Railing
by AlecksPopsFireworks
Summary: Drabble of HitsuKarin : Chapter 4: 'Of course it isn't at it seems! Humans are never as they seem' Ah, Toushiro with a Rubiks Cube : Review?
1. Smile

_**Hi people! This is just a oneshot that was just there in my computer so why not publish? It's also my first HitsuKarin (i love this couple)**_

_**Anyway. I Don't Own Bleach (T-T)**_

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**_**Smile**

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The wind hit his face gently, making his snow white hair sway just in the slightest. He could hear Hyorinmaru purr in content in his head. It sounded like a loud rumble, louder then thunder, but Hitsugaya Toshiro was used to it, it was comforting even. He slowly pulled his eyelids closed over his turquoise eyes, letting the few final rays of the sunset in front of him reach his face. It warmed him slightly, and he couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth form a small smile.

It was crooked and looked like it was unpracticed, but a gentle smile none the less. Not many people were able to see his smile, but when they did they see him in a completely different light, and they cherished it. It was rare.

"You should smile more often." he heard a voice say. The matchless smile on his face vanished and was replaced by the familiar scowl that was apart of his usual cold demeanor.

Toshiro opened his eyes, saw the sunset and kept his eyes on it, not wanting to see the raven haired Kurosaki that he knew was the one talking. She had a voice that always made him turn his head, grab his attention, subconsciously of course, and he hated that. He felt a hand on his hair and automatically pushed it away, but Toshiro knew it was useless. Kurosaki Karin was going to mess with his hair weather he wanted her to or not.

And he didn't.

But she did. End of story.

He pushed her hand away and when he put it back on his lap, he felt her fingers run through his hair yet again, ruffling it in a playful manner. He could see that irritating smirk already on her face.

"Quit it, Kurosaki" he pushed her hand away once again. Karin sighed and most likely rolled her eyes, he didn't know. He was still trying to not get sucked up into conversation so he still didn't look at her. _Why do I just know what she's gonna say or do next. She's probably gonna tell me to call her by her first name._

"I told you call me 'Karin'" she said to him a tint of annoyance in her voice. _'I was right. Damn, is that a good thing or a bad thing...'_ he thought. Hell he didn't know, but he didn't think about it long. She swung her legs over the railing to sit with him like they always did. Every time he came, she came. He came to be alone but she wouldn't have it. '_I think she does it just to piss me off..._'

For some reason, he was always sent to the human world, the Soutaicho said it was because he was the one who knew how to "blend in" the most and be "inconspicuous". Toshiro, for the first time in his life, felt like point to his hair and yell 'HAVE YOU_ NOT_ NOTICED?' So he came usually every few months, alone or with others. But no matter, he would always end up at that same spot. And she'd always be there.

"You should sing." she said after a while of silence, breaking him from his thoughts. He looked at her a bit confused, _'Where did she get that from?'_

"What?" he asked, looking to her, but she was still turned to the setting sun before them.

"You should sing," she shrugged, "You have a nice voice."

"How would you know?" he slightly sneered, but he never could like he did with others, "You've never heard me before. And either way I don't sing." he added

"You were humming a few minutes ago." she turned to him, and noticing his face she smirked at him, _'Kami, I hate that smirk.'_ "Didn't you know?" '_Wait, how the hell did she get me to talk to her? Dammit, every time.' _he thought and turned back to the sun. He just wanted to be here alone, the reason why he comes to this spot, and think. But with Karin... he just couldn't explain it. And it, the fact he couldn't explain, annoyed him.

A lot.

He could feel her eyes on him but refused to meet them. She smirked and shook her head, and turned back to the sunset before them. He closed his eyes once again and as much as he tried to refrain, he couldn't help but think about the girl right beside him. _'I wasn't humming was I?_' he thought. Soon enough he was in his inner world; the chilling cold icy air gave him goosebumps. It was a change from the weather out his subconscious. He welcomed it, though.

**_'I think you were, master._**' Hyorinmaru said to him, while the familiar ice dragon appeared into the plain of ice of his mind,**_ 'You tend to do that.'_** Toshiro picked up on the hint of amusement in his voice. Karin was starting to rub of on him, Toshiro guessed. As though he heard his thought, Hyorinmaru rumbled a bit. Toshiro could have sworn that was his form of a chuckle.

_'I do...?'_ He asked to change the subject. Toshiro looked into the red eyes of Hyorinmaru while the dragon nodded his head yes in reply.

"Hey, snowflake." he heard Karin's voice echo in the vast icy plain.

_'Have you figured out why I can hear her voice here?'_ he asked. Toshiro could have sworn Hyorinmaru smirked a little, which reminded him of Karin, before answering no. Wait... why was he reminded of Karin?

**_'She's calling you master'_** Hyorinmaru rumbled, his red eyes looking to the 'sky' of his inner world where the voice was coming from.

_'I know, I'm hoping she'll leave me alone'_ he looked up to the origin on the voice.

_**'You and I both know what's going to-'**_

Hyorinmaru was interrupted when her voice called again.

"Hey, Toshiro!" she sounded a bit panicked._** 'You should answer her.'**_

_'I should, shouldn't I?'_ he said sarcastically.

He then felt a smack on the back of his head, which he thought was strangely ironic timing, causing him to jolt forward a bit and pull him back to reality._ 'To Karin'_ he thought,_ 'Wait, what?'_

"What the hell?" he said both to the thought he pushed to the back of his mind and the hit over the head. Toshiro rubbed the back of his head where she hit him, it didn't really hurt, but it wasn't exactly painless. Where does she learn to hit like that? Oh right. _'She's a Kurosaki.'_

"You didn't answer," she said in her tough and confident demeanor, with all hint of panic gone. But it still wasn't her normal voice. It was a bit higher, and had a sense of fakeness. How he knew, he didn't wanna know, "I was calling you and you didn't answer."

"What? Scared?" he said looking at her, once more. '_Kuso'_ She rolled her onyx eyes._ 'Why can't she just leave me the hell alone?'_

"Yeah, sure." she said sarcastically. It seemed he got his wish since she was swinging her legs over the railing to the street. She started to walk off and before he could stop himself he called to her.

"Where are you going?" She didn't reply and kept walking. He didn't know why but he... just... he didn't know. But he didn't want her to walk away.

"Kurosaki?" he called, still nothing. "Kurosaki!" nothing. "Karin!" He didn't notice he said her name but she did and turned with that damn smirk he hated so much.

Then he thought back on how he just responded to her leaving. She usually stayed with him until the sun was completely set, then they would still watch the stars and then they would always part. The fact she was leaving him -here -made him feel... weird, he couldn't explain it.

"What?" she turned back around, with the hated smirk still on her face "Scared?"

"Yeah sure, Karin" he answered and looked back to the sunset, "Just go."

She turned on her heal and started walking once again, but stopped herself mid-step.

Toshiro turned around only to feel a familiar hand reach to ruffle his hair. When he was just about to push her hand away he looked straight to her and onyx and turquoise locked. Toshiro had his hand on his head, in mid push off, right on top of hers. After a few seconds they both smiled their crooked unpracticed smile and she messed up his hair, with his hand still lightly on hers. She could see the tint of pink on his cheek and she was pretty sure she was blushing too. But the pink-red from the sunset hid it well...that sure as hell wasn't enough for Karin.

"Like I said," she pulled her hand away, and leaned in just the slightest. Toshiro's blush grew tint while he moved back to which Karin just leaned in closer with her much hated smirk turned smile, "You should smile more often," she turned on her heel and started to walk away. Toshiro let out an inaudible sigh, and wondered why his heart started beating faster when she got closer. _**'Something tells me she's not done Master.'**_

_'What do you mean?' _asked the ever oblivious Toshiro._**  
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Once again she stopped and turned back enough to look at him. He watching her walk away and Karin, being well..Karin, decided to mess with him... just a little more.

"Besides," her smirk, gently turned soft and made a true smile, a bit similar to his, "You look cute when you smile," Toshiro stared wide eyes at her while a tint of pink formed on his cheeks... again. Karin's smile grew bigger until she was laughing."I knew that would get a better reaction!" she laughed and started running. It took a millisecond for Toshiro to put together the puzzle pieces...

"KUROSAKI!"


	2. Thank You For What I Don't Know

_**I guess you can call this a continuation of smile. I think it might be a series of one shots... I don't know :) But oh well. It's just a drabble :P **_

_**I don't own bleach :'( No matter how much I or any other bleach fan wishes for themselves...**_

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**Thank You For What I Don't Know

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"You have a great voice," he heard an annoyingly familiar voice say. He knew it was Karin.

_**Don't you mean Kurosaki?**_ Hyorinmaru asked his white haired master.

_...Urusai._was all he answered. He was yet again, watching the sunset at the railing. And yes you guessed it, Karin was there as well.

_And she's gonna ask me why..._"Why don't you sing?" _Right again.. damn. _

He was singing in his subconscious. He didn't know why he started to do that again. Yes again. When he lived with his granny after Hinamori left, right around the time Toshiro began to dream of Hyorinmaru, his Granny would sing to him. After that, whenever he was in a good mood, or just for the hell of it he would hum and sing lyrics to songs he'd hear other children sing around the village.

Of course, after he entered the Academy and became a captain, he wasn't caught dead singing. His little habit of singing and humming came back after he came to the human world, but strangely only at the human world. He would be in a pleasant mood in the Soul Society, but he didn't sing. He simply branded it as not wanting to be branded as a fool. His reputation would just sink if-

"Toshiro?" Karin asked, interrupting his thoughts. She was getting used to his void off expression, but that didn't mean she'd try to break it, it became an annoying habit.

"What?" he asked, not exactly nicely. He'd given up long ago trying to avoid conversation after learning she'd stay with him weather he talked or not. Ignored her, that was different, he'd get hit over the head or get some sort of injury. _Damn Kurosaki's._

"Well can you tell me what you sing..er... hum?" she asked. _Why does she even want to know?_

"Not really." he said not meeting her gaze to him.

"Oh come on." she said, nudging him. "I think I know that song, it's a little kids song my mom used to sing to me..." her voice went a bit lower when she mentioned her mom, like it always did. He never really asked why she did, he guessed she left them or she died.

"No." She knew he wasn't going to look to her so she followed his gaze of the sunset.

His sight went straight to the sunset, and remembered how it was with his adoptive sister when they would sit and watch the sky while eating watermelon. Before he could stop them, more memories came before him... her vacant eyes, her hollow expression, her blood spilled across the floor shed by the man she apparently 'loved' and the constant denial of that he could eve-

"So your not gonna tell me the song?" Karin asked hastily. One of the things he didn't understand about her was that she always did that. 'That' being, just when he was about to remember some of the worst things, worst memories, of bad thoughts swirling in his head, she would bring him back to the sanity known as reality. Her timing was always perfect, just... he just didn't understand! And it infuriated him sometimes, that he, a Shinigami that has lived more then her life span, and a child prodigy to add, couldn't understand the mind of this Kurosaki! But at these times he was just grateful she was his pull back to sanity, but he'd never tell her that of course.

"Right" was all he answered and automatically she answered back to him.

"Left." his eye brows furrowed and turned to look at her normal expression she looked out into the sun. She turned to him, and it was like she could read his mind while he asked her why in the hell she just said left. She rolled his eyes, like she had to explain the most obvious thing in the world. It was.. to her.

"You said 'right' I said 'left'" she shrugged. He simply looked at her and again, she read his mind and gave an answer.

"Why not?" she said. Toshiro shook his head and looked up to the sunset again.

"Your insane."

"Because your perfectly sane yourself." she answered. "No one really is sane. It's just whats normal. Like in the Soul Society it's normal for everyone to carry around a sword, where here your seen carrying a sword your branded as crazy. Like they say, 'In a mad world, only the mad are sane.'" she explained. Did she just go from saying left when he said right, to explaining sanity in the eyes of humans? He just didn't understand her!

"Shut up, I can be smart." she said her eyes still on the sun. He chose not to say anything, but let their conversation slip into a comfortable silence.

The sun had finally dipped behind the horizon and the blue began to mix with red creating a beautiful shade of violet.

Toshiro heard as Karin sighed, and began to swing her legs over the railing to start heading home. Toshiro didn't move. She looked down to him, and smiled, and ran her fingers through his hair again, but unlike last time he didn't do anything, just simply let her.

"You finally figured out I'm going to do this to you weather you want to or not right?" she asked, and only got a grunt in respond she laughed and turned around and walked home.

"Thank you." he said when she was a bit a distance away, but he had a weird feeling she knew what he said before he even said it. He didn't know why he said it, but he felt like.. it just needed to be said.

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_**Like it? Hate it? just tell me :3 Pweeze? Thank You.**_


	3. His Job

**_Hi(: I know I haven't written in a long time, but i have oh.. i don't know... TONS of chapters(: I'll be posting them apart, and some still need to be typed or Beta'd(:_**

**_Thank You to MeteorLeopard who Beta'd This for me :D  


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**His Job**

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He was at the railing once again. Looking up to the sun about to dip over the horizon, the wind blowing his hair and caressing his skin. But it was missing. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He didn't feel calm, he didn't feel content or anything he ever felt when he was here. Nothing. He was neutral, like he always was everywhere else besides here.

Why? What was bothering him so? The sun was perfect, just a beautiful as ever, the early stars peeking in the bluer part of the sky opposite from the burning sun, it was cool like it had been all day and there were, miraculously, no hollows or spikes of spiritual pressure. The only thing that wasn't there was... Karin.

A memory from yesterday flashed through his mind.

_A low grumble broke a silence. One again, Toushiro and Karin were sitting before a sunset in a comfortable silence. Karin looked to Toushiro, who was avoiding her eyes and acting as if they grumble was never sounded. _

"_Hungry?" she asked in an amused voice. He still avoided her gaze, but mumbled incoherently about 'Inoue', and 'Delicious'. She stifled a small laugh, before standing up. Toushiro finally turned his turquoise eyes to her. "Lemme' guess," she said, looking at him with a quirked brow, "Orihime's food?"_

_He inwardly cringed. Karin smiled, "Tomorrow I'll bring some of Yuzu's Onigiri." Toushiro still didn't say a word, but she knew what he was going to say, "Trust me it's good." And when she walked away he mumbled, "That's what they said about Orihime's."_

Karin wasn't here. But why would that change anything? She was just a human girl, she couldn't make the sun become brighter, the stars shine or the moon glow. She couldn't. She was just there to irritate him, to annoy him, mess with his hair and simply give him company. That was all, he could live without that.

But why wasn't it the same?

_**Something is troubling you Master. When you come you are usually so content. **_Hyorinmaru's voice rumbled with concern inside the white haired captain's head.

_Yes I know, but there isn't anything that I can say is wrong. _Toshiro answered to his Zanpakuto.

_**Where is Karin?**_

_Kurosaki? _Toshiro wondered, _I don't know, most likely at her house. Why?_

_**Nothing.**_Hyorinmaru said and silence was once again brought upon Toshiro._This.. doesn't feel right_. With that thought he swung his legs over the railing and began to walk away, not caring if the sun was not even set yet. He didn't look back to it either, he simply walked. No, he wasn't going to look for Karin.

It wasn't his job to find her, it wasn't his job to see why she didn't come, she didn't have to anyway. And it wasn't his job to protect her, she could defend herself.

Or at least, that's what he kept telling himself.

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**The Next Day...**

**She isn't here again, Master.**Hyorinmaru told Toshiro while he continued to sit at the railing.

_It doesn't matter, she doesn't have to anyway._Was all he replied before it became silent again. The wrong kind of silence. The sun was almost completely set and strangely... it wasn't as beautiful, the stars hadn't even begun to shine, and the pale moon almost looked invisible in his eyes. The rays from the sun made his white shirt look red. The red on his clothes, on his hands, on his face... like blood.

He shook his head, stood up and began to walk away. His memories were dangerous to himself, and he had no one to bring him back to sanity this time.

The thought of looking for her came to his head, but again... It wasn't his job.

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**The Day After...**

The cool night wind caressed his skin, the stars shone, but they were dull to him. Toshiro was there standing there about to leave from his spot, where he was alone watching the sunset. Many thoughts were swirling in his head.

He didn't have to go find her, why wasn't she there? It didn't matter did it? No of course not. But why was it so different? It was just his head, it was just... it was just...

It wasn't his job to find her, he didn't have to. But he _wanted_ to.

Out of pure instinct, he turned opposite from his normal path, and shunpoed to the Kurosaki Clinic.

He didn't know why he was jumping from house to house as fast as he could. He didn't know why he was even going to the Kurosaki Clinic, and he especially didn't know why he felt a bit of panic when the house was empty.

He stood there in her room. The only light were the moon shining in through the window he left open and the digital clock shining 8:37 in red. There were two beds in the room. One green which he guessed was Karin's and a pink one he guessed was her sisters, a few soccer posters pinned to one wall while the other had a few pictures of what he guessed were celebrities, and a desk with a computer.

Toshiro closed his eyes and focused to find her spiritual pressure. He expected it to be at a soccer field where she was playing a late game, another house she was spending the night at or somewhere with her family. He didn't know why his heart skipped a beat when he felt her reiatsu flickering at Karakura Hospital.

Toshiro ended his shunpo on a streetlight outside of the Hospital. He focused on the faint spiritual pressure emitting from Karin. It went stronger and then went dangerously low. It was like the flame of a candle at the end of a tunnel, a small shimmer here and there giving very little light, but still there. He jumped onto the window. In the chair between the hospital bed and the window was Yuzu asleep holding her sisters hand. Toshiro followed Yuzu's hand to Karin's one, which was bandaged, to her face. She looked as if she was merely sleeping, but she had bandages around the side of her head covering one eye and a bruise on her cheek, a cut on her forehead which was bleeding slightly as if it was just reopened, a broken leg and different tubes going into her other arm that Yuzu wasn't holding. He climbed inside and made sure Yuzu was still asleep before walking quietly around to the other side of the bed. Karin's raven hair was strewn across the pillow standing out against the white... and red. There were a few spots of blood on the pillow. He noticed it was a head wound.

"Are you one of Karin's friends?" he jumped slightly, but overall kept his composure. It was Yuzu rubbing the sleep from her eyes. How could she see him?

...Oh right, he was wearing a Gigai. He opened his mouth to answer, until he realized he didn't have an answer to her question. Was Karin really a friend? The only person he could have ever called a friend was Kusaka... and look how that turned out.

"What happened?" he answered with a question. Yuzu looked at him, and went along with the subject change.

"She was on her way somewhere," she answered, "I don't know where, but she was getting there in a hurry or something because... well we found her in an alley. We guess she was fighting with some guys, or something." Toshiro didn't say anything, but still looked at her sleeping figure. "The doctors say they hit her pretty badly on the head. She might wake up after a while, but we don't know when." she said. Yuzu looked to Toshiro, and started walking towards the door. "Visiting hours end at 9." He looked at the clock and saw it was 8:41. "I'll be right back, please don't leave yet." Yuzu stepped outside and he was there alone with her.

_**You are not at fault.**_he hears Hyorinmaru say in his head.

_How is it not my fault? She was on her way when she didn't have to be._

_**You know it wasn't. What would she think if she saw you, blaming yourself for this?**_

_I don't know._Toshiro said.

_**Answer me truthfully, young one. (1)**_

He smirked slightly, looking out the window and thought back to previous times... _She would first tell me it wasn't my fault… no, first she'd hit me over the head... then somehow read my mind and convince me otherwise or hit me again until I agree with her. Then say something irrelevant; completely random, laugh at my face when I comment and she explains... then mess with my hair._

_**Now I don't think you'd want her to be hitting you**_**,**he said with a hint of amusement,_**so why continue to put yourself at fault?**_

Before he could answer, Yuzu walked in once again. "Good you're still here." she smiled. _She smiles so easily _he thinks,_but something tells me she's not really smiling._"Here." and before he knows it he's holding a small food container. "Karin was carrying this, I think... this was for you." she said, and he stared down at the box and looked up. She was walking out of the room once again. "I have to go now, but there's still 15 minutes until they tell you to leave. Goodbye" she waved and gave another smile. It seemed a bit truer then her last one.

He was alone again in the room with Karin. He looked up to her, then looked back down to the container. She remembered.

He sat at the window and opened the box. Inside was Amanatto and Yokan, with another Wagashi that was more recent and didn't know about, along with it was some Onigiri. He shook his head. Not once. Not once had he ever mentioned that he liked Amanatto. There was no way she could have guessed._ Why can she read my mind so easily?_ He looked to her sleeping figure. The cut on her forehead was still bleeding slightly. He got a tissue from the bedside table and started to wipe the blood away.

"You're gonna get yourself killed someday if your not more careful, Kurosaki." he muttered, while cleaning her cut.

"But careful is no fun." Toshiro's eyes widened a bit to see Karin looking up to him weakly, "And what happened to calling me 'Karin'?"

"I've told you time and time again,_Kurosaki_," he emphasized, "You. Are. Insane." she smirked, the smirk he decided he didn't hate so much. It was better than her emotionless face while she was unconscious. "Now get some rest and wake up when your sister gets here tomorrow."

"That's if I wake up." silence filled the room. "Calm down it's only a joke." she said, turning to her side to get more comfortable and closing her eyes. "Toshiro?" she said opening one eye.

"Hn."

"You don't blame yourself do you?" he didn't answer, but simply turned around to dispose of the tissue. He heard an audible sigh and she tried to sit up, she wasn't able to without Toshiro's help. "Come here." he stepped a bit closer, "Down here." he squatted down to the point he at was eye level. Karin then hit Toshiro over the head, hard enough to make him wobble a bit. "It's not your fault." she stated. "And don't give me that face," that he didn't understand. His face was just as emotionless as always, how could she see? "You know it wasn't, you know I can take care of myself. If I came out this bad, then those guys must be 10 times worse then me." he looked down to her. "That and..." she trailed off.

"And what?" he sighed.

"I can't believe you bent down just so I could hit you!" she laughed. A tint of pink graced his cheeks, making her laugh a little harder, and he turned around.

"Get some sleep..." he said before jumping on the window sill, the little box under his arm. "Karin." with that he shunpoed to Inoue's with one thought on his mind:

_Remind me, why did I look for her again?  


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_**(1) I want Hyorinmaru to be teasing and a bit sarcastic- yes he's kinda getting it from Karin- but remember he has still been with Toshiro for a long time, so I think he has the ability to change personalities pretty well from caring wise dragon to damn annoying dragon as Toshiro describes him :3**_

_**So like it? :3 Review Please(:**_


	4. Almost

_**Hi(: Alright, I'm sorry this took so long to complete but I kept adding, then taking out then adding until i got this(: I hope you like it!  
oh and bleach isn't mine T_T**_

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**_**Almost**

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Toshiro walked to the railing as he always did, donned in casual human clothes of dark jeans, with a pale blue shirt under a black hoodie and converse. He was bored with the lack of hollows recently, but the break was good, and well deserved. Toshiro was at the railing; he'd rather be doing paperwork at this point, but instead he looked to the sun and the first thought in his head was... Karin? What? No. He usually thinks of his childhood, the good memories in Rukongai with his grandma, when everything just wasn't so complicated, filled with war. Truthfully they were the only things that he really kept dear anymore. To avoid any further unreasonable thoughts, he pulled out his Soul Phone and began to write his report.

"Hey, Toshiro" came a distracted voice a while as he was just about finished. He turned to see Karin with something in her hand. It was cube, all of the 6 faces were covered by colorful stickers, white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow. It seemed to pivot, letting each face turn, mixing up the colors. He looked at the puzzle, with mild interest... well his interest was in Karin's face of concentration. He had to hold back a smirk.

She looked at the toy with more focus then it seemed to need, with her tongue sticking out in the slightest, and her cheeks puffed slightly to show how irritated she was getting more and more with the device. She wore black loose shorts that ended at her knees, with a purple tee under a black tank top, and her running shoes.

"That is...?" he said, in a bored monotone. He stared at the device still twisting and turning it.

"It's a Rubik's cube," she said, her eyes not tearing away from the it, while she kept on alternating colors. She finally looked up to him, and saw his still expecting face. He didn't get. She shook her head and sat beside him on the railing, "It's a puzzle, you have to get the same color to a face of the cube. Get it?"

He didn't say anything but kept staring at it, as she continued to try and break the puzzle. He didn't understand why she was so.. entertained by the stupid toy. It looked like any body could solve it.

"It looks easy." he quirked an eyebrow putting away his Soul Phone. She stopped and stared at him with an 'Oh really?' look in her eyes. He glared back at her, continuing their unspoken argument. She narrowed her eyes, and pushed the object into his hands.

"Then you try it genius." she then crossed her arms and turned her head away from him stubbornly, but of course she peered back out of the corner of her eye. He observed the object in his hand before handing it back to her.

"You can't be serious. It's a simple, human.. toy." he emphasized, with a hint of offense in his voice. He was _not_ going to waste his time on such effortless thing. He was a captain, and had better things to do.

_**Would you like to explain why you're here then, oh so busy master?**_ Hyourinmaru's voice rumbled in the back of his subconscious. As he pushed the voice of his more talkative dragon even further back, he noticed Karin was responding.

"...shouldn't be hard should it?" she challenged, once again forcing it into his hands. He rolled his eyes and stared at the object in his hand. He looked at it, examining each of the colors before actually beginning to twist and turn it in many orders. Turn left, down, right, up, left again, no right, down, no the other one... down... but then the orange... blue... yellow.. up red... but right white... no wait...

It felt like it was going on for hours and hours, and yet there was always one sticker that didn't make it, or a side that just didn't belong, until he was just twisting it in any random order as if it would solve itself by pure coincidence... what? It was possible._ 'Of course its harder then it appeared. Humans are never what they appear!'_ he thought in aggravation, not noticing Karin's amused eyes still watching him. Karin couldn't help herself, she started laughing.

"Whats so funny?" he said in annoyance, ready to coat the irritating puzzle in his hands in ice.

"Your face!" Karin continued to laugh, "You look like your putting all your focus on it"

"Oh shut up," he grumbled, holding up the Rubik's Cube, "This thing is evil."

"That's what I said when Yuzu showed it to me." she said, taking a grab for it, but he held it away. Obviously he didn't want to be outsmarted by it. Then a smile stretched her face, "I thought you said it was easy." she mocked playfully.

"It is." he retorted.

"Then why isn't it done?"

"..." she only laughed at his non-response.

"You will never solve that puzzle." she said shaking her head. She turned her view to the sun in front of them, not seeing Toshiro's face of offense.

"I can." he muttered. She raised an eyebrow and turned back to him. Was he really challenging her on this? Her deep onyx eyes, with a glint of purple he noticed, gazed as his teals eyes. No. He wasn't one to back down that easy, even if it was something so small.

"Cannot." It turned to more than that.

"Can to." his eyes didn't move from hers.

"Cannot." It had become a stubbornness that was born in him. Something that was always used to push him, tell him he wasn't good enough.

"Can." but that never stopped him. He wasn't going to waver.

"Cannot!" So many clues. Just what is with him?

"Can!" Just what is she? Why must he continue to prove himself, especially to her?

"Cannot!" She pushed just a little bit more. It was not that she wanted to see him break. Of course not. She wasn't that sadistic. But pushing him, made him stronger. Overall she couldn't believe how she gets all this from a simple glance.

Or that he's getting this mad over a puzzle.

"Karin!" He couldn't believe he was being dragged into this stupid argument! But her smile grew. She wasn't going to push her luck with it, but an idea set in her mind. It was simply too much fun to push his buttons, "Fine, we'll make a bet." she suggested, "If you don't have the Rubik's Cube solves by tomorrow I win, if you do, you win." she said, and Toshiro didn't like the sadistic gleam in her eye. Toshiro always used his logic, and right now it was waving a little red flag signaling for him to refuse. When he was about to, something came to him: There was no logic for Kurosakis. One more look at her. Especially this Kurosaki.

"Depends." he said, testing the waters. That little voice was getting weaker and weaker the more he stared at her, "What are the stakes." It was a statement.

Karin had an idea about what she wanted him to do. It was something she'd wanted to know... well more hear, for a while. But Just to get him to do it would not only be embarrassing, but also from what she could tell private. It was his life. A solution came to mind. It was perfect! It would be a double win! (Considering she won of course)

Deciding to take the risk she spoke. "How about... The winner can dare the loser to do ONE thing, and the loser HAS to do it." Karin suggested. He looked away from her as he considered, for wasn't quite sure. It felt like she could read him all to well. The only reason she's say something like that was if she wanted him to do something in particular... she had something planned. Or was he simply over analyzing the situation. This particular consequence was a common one... Then there was the possibility if he won. 'If I win I could make Karin do _anything._' he thought. Toshiro studied Karin. She was there waiting for an answer. 'There's no telling what she could make me do.' the little red flag popped up again..

"Come on, are we betting or what." she asked, tilting her head and putting her hair behind her ear. At that moment he was color blind to the flag, and his troublesome thoughts faded.

White flag.

"Fine. Deal." he stated sharply. She held out her hand to him, and he grasped it as she spoke.

"Deal!" she smiled, that devilish smile as the continued to shake firmly. "It's a bet." When his hand pulled away from hers and rested back beside him, he couldn't help but wonder at the certain emptiness it felt. She swung her legs to the other side of the railing, and stood stretching.

"Leaving?" he asked, once again turning to her. He glanced at her, her hands high above her head that nodded stiffly. He turned back and tried to solve the Rubik's Cube. She looked over his shoulder to the cube in his hands. His determination was set. But she wanted to win the bet. A set of nervousness set in seeing him working on it, and it was certainly possible he would solve it. He wasn't a captain for anything, and on top of that a child prodigy.

She rested her head on his shoulder to look at the Rubik's cube in his hands which stopped mid-turn with her sudden contact. He didn't notice she was this close until her chin rested on his shoulder and he breath on his neck. "Don't hurt your self." she said teasingly, before picking up her head and turning away. At least he managed to hold back his chills until she was turned away.

**_I didn't know she'd use that..._**he heard Hyourinmaru say in slight shock in his mind.

_'Note to self'_ he thought to himself, deciding to head back to Orihime's house and stuffing the cube in his pocket, _'Karin can be scary'_

* * *

**Arguing with Myself**

...He did it. Toshiro looked at the completed Rubik's Cube in his hand as if it held the answer to everything he would ever need. He looked to the clock that read: 3:50 am... Toshiro stared at the clock and shook his head to look at the stupid little toy.

Yes he still considered it stupid. Whether or not he completed the Rubik's Cube, he didn't care, but that look on Karin's face.. he didn't know why he gave in so much. Toshiro put his head in his hands remembering the childish arguments of 'Can! and Cannot!'. He might as well be crying in front of the rest of the Gotei 13. They all baby him enough.

He lifted his head. "This is your fault, you know." he muttered to the cube. "Stupid toy. Yes I'm telling a toy it's stupid, Kami, I'm going insane." he said laying back in his bed in Orihime's extra room and placed the cube on his bedside table. He looked up to the ceiling, his hands behind his head.

Even at 3.. he looked at the clock... 4 in the morning he just couldn't sleep. 'Karin's the one who gave me the damned cube.' he thought as he sat up, knowing fully well he wouldn't get a good night's sleep 'Why am I thinking about her anyway?' He ran his fingers through his hair. Toshiro would never admit it, but... he had grown to attached to this girl. When it would come time for him to leave for good... he didn't know. Would he miss her? Would she miss him? For the second time that night, he ran his fingers through his hair and breathed a deep sigh.

Deciding to give his mind a rest, he lay back on the small bed once again, hoping that drowsiness would come over him.

No such luck.

His eyes then rested on the little cube, his mind wandering back to when she gave him the Rubiks cube. And the dare came to his head, the advantage of making Karin do whatever it is he wanted.'I have to dare her to do something...' he thought and he searched through his mind for something...

She could...

Toushiro realized. He had nothing. After spending hours and hours on the infuriating thing, he couldn't come up with a single thing.** _'I'm sure you can come up with _something_ master...'_ **Hyorinmaru said.

_Your talkative..._ Toshiro thought in his head closing his eyes, _And I shouldn't even have this bet with her. I shouldn't even be talking to her, she's a human._

**_You feel content with her master. It has been a long time that this world has been at peace... _**he stated calmly before adding with a hint of teasing,**_ and you are actually normal for once!_**

_Thanks. _Toshiro thought sarcastically but knew the truth behind his zanpakuto's words.

**_You know it's true._ **Hyourinmaru said,**_ And besides she practically performed a miracle._**

_And that would be..?_

_**She made you act your age!**_ the ice dragon chuckled which resembled a deep rumble.

_She made me act like a child._

**You are a child! **And before the white haired taicho could retort, he continued, **And you can't lie there and tell me that you didn't enjoy being around her.** With that Toshiro was silenced and the ice dragon's point was made.** See? You shouldn't push things away that make you happy...** Toshiro then lost contact with his zanpakuto.

He pulled the covers over him, pushed off the comforter, leaving the thin sheets to cover him. Toshiro closed his eyes muttering, "Stupid Dragon."

His lullaby for that night was Hyourinmaru's deep chuckle, for Toushiro came up with the perfect dare for Karin...

* * *

**Bets Are On!  
**

Karin hated blushing; she _refused_ to blush. Yet it took a lot of will power to keep that embarrassing trademark off of her face as the walked.. okay stumbled... down the rocky path of the park across from there school with Toshiro. It was the school festival Yuzu, and her friends and well everyone in their school has been putting together and waiting for with little patience. To welcome the oncoming spring. As so the park was filled with beautiful flowers and ones just about to bud.

There were stands with people selling snacks and little toys, some were games that younger children were lining up for. Many people were there seeing as it was required for each student to attend for at least an hour and a half, and many classmates stared at her. The blush was being harder and harder to suppress. Karin came ever so close to yell at people to 'mind their own damn business and stop staring'.

The root of this predicament, this migraine provoking problem was none other then the person strolling along beside her as if the world was just how much she wished to hit him with the nearest blunt object across the face.. anything to get rid of that smirk.

She lost the bet.

"I hate you," she said through clenched teeth.

She couldn't believe she lost the bet... for something so stupid.

His smirk only grew into more of a smile. That was the 11th..."I mean I really, _really_ hate you, Toshiro." ..12th time she's told him how much she hated him. And although the first time it stung a bit. But he guessed, she'd get over it eventually, or at least he hoped he would. But even if she didn't, this was payment enough.

"I know." he said, indifferently as he continued to walk along the park path with her in his black converse. He dug his hands deeper in his black jacket pockets, open over a loose light blue shirt what matched his eyes and khaki pants. Not that she cared what he wore. No really what really concerned her mind was was she was wearing!

That very morning he showed her the Cube, and told her the dare. Karin could not believe she was doing this. She could have bought him something, she could have been his slave for a day... but no. Karin had to... _'Wear a dress all day, with make up, heels and a purse.' _were his exact words. '_You have to be a girl for a day.'_

Karin tried to find a loophole, and of course she did, which unfortunately was solved by Yuzu mentioning that Karin had to attend the stupid school fundraising festival. And so Karin couldn't stay locked in her room. Another loophole was filled when she defended she didn't own a dress. She had to borrow one from either Yuzu or Rukia.

Because of Yuzu's extensive love of picks and yellows, Karin picked from Rukia's closet. It was light blue mainly, and a dark blue color on the top. It landed just on her knees that displayed Karin's long soccer legs, Toshiro didn't know she had. That is of course until he saw her.

The minute he had seen her his stomach flipped. Her hair was up in a simple pony tail with some strands that couldn't be held up, curled to make gentle waves as they fell beside her face. All of which was completed by a bit of blush, eyeliner, mascara, and other make up she couldn't remember, or bothered to remember. When they said 'Beauty is pain' she figured out was true when she set foot in also learned the meaning of that particular saying when Karin hit him with her purse for staring at her for too long before storming out of the house.

But what surprised him the most, was that even through this dare, she held her head up. Besides the constant remarks of her hating him, you would think that she dressed as such everyday. He saw how she stumbled every so often with her heels, or had to hold back touching her face in case of smudging her make up. Hell if she was going to have to wear it, she might as well wear it right. But though it all she never questioned it once. She didn't complain.

After stumbling once again, he led her to a bench to sit down. Karin had already completed her part for her class, and so they were about to walk back to her house. "Bet's off." he said as she sat down.

"What?"

"The. Bet. Is. Off." He said clearly. She rolled her eyes behind her longer, darker eye lashes while she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I heard what you said, Sherlock." she said watching him as he sat beside her. His gaze never met hers but watched as people pass "I mean why." she said. He still didn't look at her as he shrugged. Karin did what she wanted to do in the first place, but with not quite as much vigor as she had wanted to prior. She hit him. "What the hell was that for?" he finally turned to her, rubbing his arm where the punch landed.

"Look," she said, "I lost the bet. Don't pity me." She narrowed her eyes at him. If this didn't aggravate her enough, it was certainly pity that did the trick.

"I don't pity you, the bet if just off alright?" he stated, wishing to drop the subject. Toshiro turned away from her once again as he crossed his arms with Karin still staring at him. People passed as silence set in, the sounds of laughter and people's conversations mingling in the air as background noise. "Will you stop staring at me?" he said, in an annoyed monotone. At that she smiled.

No it wasn't pity. It wasn't that she couldn't do it. There was no need 's done her part, he'd done his. Everything was paid. He wasn't going to make it a living hell. Take pictures and blackmail her for the rest of her life. He wasn't. And she smiled.

Karin stood up from the bench with a sigh, the smile never leaving her face. He couldn't stop his eyes from glancing at her. "Well come on, we're not just going to stay here throughout the whole festival, are we?" he couldn't do anything but observe her. What was with her? One minute she is questioning him, hitting him... the next she has a smile and is inviting him. She is so confusing, so aggravating, annoying, childish and..

"Come on!" she said holding out her hand to him so he could stand.

Bearable. Understanding. He took it, and stood up with her. And endearing.

She ignored the clothes she wore, the pain of her feet, or the surprised faces of those who saw her. Although she noticed they were talking about who she was with rather then what she thought before.

And in the back of her head all the wanted to do was laugh as a thought flashed through her head of the 'finished' Rubik's cube, with only one side containing all blue colors, while the other 5 sides were a jumble of colors, that Toshiro had to proudly displayed that very morning. _He almost makes me want to tell him he didn't do it right._ she thought.

_'Almost...'_

* * *

**_So what do you think? Sorry I took so long, internet and school is so busy, and high school is fun :__D This one is for Meteor Leopard who helped me with this idea!_**


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